Snow Zone

Steamboat water ramp trains hundreds of skiers for winter tricks

Ryan Dyer throws a rotating backflip at the Steamboat Springs water ramp. The ramp hosts hundreds of skiers every summer as they hone technical tricks they hope will earn them medals in the winter. (Jason Blevins, The Denver Post)

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Timmy Meagher and Erik Skinner are directing a crew of young skiers with code-like advice.

"Squeeze your core and your triceps in your pre-set."

"Stack your boots on entry."

"Nice. Smooth and patient. Distinct arm movements. It was there that time."

The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club freestyle coaches are flapping their arms, slapping their thighs and seemingly imitating the sandhill cranes perched in nests high above the steep ramp that is launching a steady stream of skiers into a chilly lake.

The athletes are listening intently, folding their arms and twisting in the air per their coaches' calls, the echo of their skis slapping the water bouncing across the ambling Yampa River.

Since 2000, the Steamboat water ramp at Bald Eagle Water Ski Lake has served as the ultimate summer training tool for hundreds of winter athletes. They hone their air awareness, progressing from simple backflips to the twisting, flipping, ski-grabbing rotations that earn medals in winter.

The ramps do more than propel aspiring athletes into the air before they slip into the icy waters.

"This can catapult these kids to the next level," says Skinner, the club's freestyle program director, as he captures video of skiers on his iPad to help them perfect their form. "This ramp has enhanced coaches' knowledge across the board. It has enhanced athlete performance across the board. The confidence this builds is huge. When the snow flies, these kids are just so much further along."

A dozen athletes — from young aspirants to U.S. Ski Team members — slide down the plastic carpet and launch off one of five ramps. Some are just working on their backflips, maybe adding a 180-degree rotation. Others are adding a 360-degree spin. Pros such as Jeremy Cota and Ryan Dyer spin dizzying tricks.

The coaches have tips for every athlete.

"This is the simplest, easiest way to learn the basics," says Skinner, who directs each athlete on trampolines before they hit the water ramp. "We are all about progression. Step by step. When you master one step, you move on. That way when they hit snow, they will land on their feet."

Charlotte Strande throws her hands in the air and cheers from the sandy shore. Her son Jordan just stepped up from that half rotation to a backflip full, a big step for the 14-year-old. He has been working toward the trick all summer, driving up from his home in Evergreen with his mom and older brother, Zachary, as often as three times a week.

"It's so worth it," said Charlotte about the water training, talking about her sons' friends who have suffered concussions as they learned new tricks in the terrain park and halfpipe. She is comforted knowing her sons have developed skills on water before taking it to the frozen stuff.

"Why not take the time to learn to do it right? They have been trained that if something isn't working, don't do it," she said. "It makes me feel better, absolutely, knowing they have that training."

Teams from across Colorado often rally at the water ramp, which the Steamboat club operates and maintains. Aside from the Olympic training facility in Park City, Utah, the Steamboat ramp is the only water ramp in the West. The club charges athletes $30 a day and breaks even every year, Skinner said. The water ramp helps prepare athletes for increasingly technical tricks and serves as a safe steppingstone to the ubiquitous airbag that is enabling young athletes to throw the dangerous double-flipping tricks that are virtually mandatory for medaling in today's freeskiing competitions.

Four times a week, Dyer comes to the water ramp as the 22-year-old fights to climb back from an injury that pushed him down from the U.S. Ski Team to the development team. He has been with the Steamboat club since he was 8, skiing moguls since 11.

Training at the water ramp "is like my job right now," he said.

"This is the best tool we have in freestyle. You get to practice in a low-risk environment. You get to actually work through trial and error. You can't do that on snow," he said, moving from the ramp to the trampoline as he worked through a technical trick. "It's such a confidence builder. When you move to snow, yeah, it's still scary, but it's so much safer because you have that muscle memory."

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